I am pretty certain that Leigh wrote this as RHG Bait, because she knew very well that I would be suffering just a liiiiiiiittle Poldark Withdrawl, so a Cornish heroine that is also the ringleader of a local smuggling ring is basically just what the doctor ordered. Kit is okay, too. We meet Kit, the hero, as he’s living a dissolute life. He’s a former soldier who was given an earldom, but an earldom without … Continue reading Counting on a Countess by Eva Leigh →
This review is for both the narrative and the audiobook of The Hanover Square Affair. I listened to this book after learning about the series during our SBTB Book Club Chat for Death Below Stairs, also by Jennifer Ashley/Ashley Gardner. This is the first book in the Captain Lacey mystery series: Captain Lacey is living a pale, uncertain existence following the Napoleonic wars. He’s not financially doing well, he suffers from depression and from the pain of … Continue reading The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner →
NB: Today, we have an incredible guest review on a sex ed book! This review come from Jennifer: Jennifer Prokop has been reading romance ever since she found a bag of remaindered paperbacks in her grandmother’s basement when she was a teenager. She writes romance reviews for The Book Queen and you can find her on Twitter @JenReadsRomance. … (CW: discussion of rape of background character) I’ll talk about sex in romance novels all day … Continue reading Guest Review: What Does Consent Really Mean by Pete Wallis & Thalia Wallis →
Let’s Talk About Love is a romance novel with an asexual heroine (specifically, a bi-romantic asexual heroine). Alice, the heroine, is a university student whose parents want her to become a lawyer, a career in which she has no interest. She has two best friends, Feenie and Ryan, who are engaged to each other, and she struggles with feeling like the third wheel. She also struggles with romantic relationships because she doesn’t want to come … Continue reading Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann →
The final book in the Forbidden Hearts series offers a deliciously awkward romance, but is bogged down a bit by the resolution of plotlines started in the prior two books. It’s still a very enjoyable read, but it’s weaker than the previous two novels because the sheer number of loose ends that need to be resolved detracted from the romance. Also, the series should be read in order. Eve, the youngest member of the Chandler … Continue reading Hurts to Love You by Alisha Rai →
Black Tudors: The Untold Story is a nonfiction book about the presence of Black people in England during the Tudor area. The book profiles ten real people, such as John Blanke, trumpeter; Jacques Francis, salvage diver; and Diego, circumnavigator. A wide variety of occupations are listed, and three of the ten people profiled are women. The author has pulled names from records wherever they might be found – for instance, Jacques Francis was involved in … Continue reading Black Tudors by Miranda Kaufmann →
I loved the cover of this book, I was so curious about it, and I even thought about asking my library to order me a copy, but it was on sale for $1.99, so I grabbed it and started reading immediately. I ignored my ordered and dated to-be-read schedule spreadsheet, and I wish I hadn’t. I love books that explore habits and behavior, and unpack and examine the minutiae of why we do things. In this … Continue reading The Year of Less by Cait Flanders →
I read Beyond Scandal and Desire while I was on vacation, and while it may have worked really well for me five years ago, current Elyse is really frustrated with heroes who use the heroine as a device for their revenge. As much as I appreciated other aspects of the novel, my frustration with the overall plotline carried through the whole book. It did, however, teach me about the language of parasols. Lady Aslyn Hastings is … Continue reading Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath →
Torn has a great concept and fantastic descriptions of locations and clothing. It has a heroine of color (she’s described as having black hair and “golden skin”). It has intrigue. It has action and romance. Alas, it does NOT have momentum. This book is a fantasy that takes place in an alternate world. The country our heroine Sophie lives in is similar to Russia right before the 1917 revolution. Sophie is a seamstress who owns … Continue reading Torn by Rowenna Miller →
I love gothic mysteries and gothic romance. When I was a teen I found a whole shelf of Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney in our basement and devoured them. When I’d finished them, my mom gave me historical romances to read. Gothics were my gateway drug. The Darkling Bride is a gothic mystery set in Ireland with the requisite crumbling castles, ghosts, and family secrets. It also features a side romance. I found the mystery … Continue reading The Darkling Bride by Laura Andersen →
The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert made me feel really good. It was the read I needed for a crappy day and it went down like a hot cup of tea followed by a cookie. The pacing was a little off at the end, but my appreciation for an emotionally-fluent hero let me overlook that. Also the heroine wears a Dolly Parton tee shirt to bed and fuck yea, Dolly Parton. I do want to add … Continue reading The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert →
